Portage Man Sentenced To 8 Years In Prison For Telemarketing Fraud

GRAND RAPIDS - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Irfan Gill, 63, of Portage was sentenced to 8 years in prison following convictions, at trial, for mail fraud and money laundering in connection with an international telemarketing scheme. Gill was also ordered to pay $561,980.27 in restitution to the victims of this case.

"Irfan Gill preyed on older Americans to pad his own pocket, leaving victims scared and ruined," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "Every day these scams happen across America and target vulnerable members of our communities. We're fighting to hold these criminals accountable, but above all want to prevent these crimes. I encourage everyone to protect themselves and their loved ones: be wary of unsolicited calls; never share sensitive information; and resist the pressure to act quickly."

The evidence at trial showed that between at least June 2018 and March 2022, Gill worked with a call center in Pakistan that defrauded over 1,500 primarily elderly people across the United States into paying a total of more than $560,000.00 for cable and satellite television upgrades and subscription discounts that were never provided. Callers in Pakistan convinced victims to mail checks and money orders to post office boxes in Portage, including, in some cases, by threatening to terminate victims' television services. Gill retrieved victims' payments and deposited them into bank accounts in the names of fake cable and satellite television businesses, including Cable Upgrade, D Network, D Tech, Direct Network, Dish, Dish Upgrade, and Sky Satellite. Gill kept track of the payments, attributing specific victims to specific overseas callers, and calculated how much money to keep for himself and how much to wire to Pakistan. Gill avoided detection by opening multiple post office boxes and bank accounts for his fake companies and by making efforts to convince several bank investigators that his fake companies were legitimate. The jury convicted Gill of seven counts of mail fraud and eleven counts of money laundering in connection with his telemarketing scheme.

In addition to the telemarketing scheme, Gill did not report or pay taxes on the fraud proceeds and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he fraudulently obtained over $20,000.00 in Paycheck Protection Program loans for a fake cable and satellite television company that did not exist.

"This sentencing highlights the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's dedication to safeguarding our most vulnerable citizens, especially the elderly, from those who seek to exploit them for personal financial gain," said Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Detroit Division. "This individual's fraudulent activities inflicted untold financial and emotional distress on the victims, and today's sentencing reaffirms our commitment to protecting the public from such schemes. We will continue to be vigilant in our pursuit of justice for those who would prey upon the vulnerable."

Federal law enforcement provides a number of tips on how to protect yourself from telemarketing scams, including:

1. Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, e-mails, and mailings.
2. Never give or send any sensitive information (including your date of birth, account numbers, or passwords), credit or debit card numbers, or money to unverified people or businesses.
3. Resist the pressure to act quickly. Scammers create a false sense of urgency to lure people to immediate action.
4. If you recognize a scam attempt, immediately end all communication with the perpetrator.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Townshend and Stephen Baker prosecuted it.

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